The complete piece
"Those whom the gods wish to destroy they first make mad"
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Under-fire QPR manager Jim Magilton faces axe over headbutt as Akos Buzsaky threatens to press charges
By Matt Lawton and Simon Jones
QPR manager Jim Magilton's future was thrown into doubt last night after he became the second manager in a week to be accused of butting one of his players.
Tony Pulis is already at the centre of an internal investigation at Stoke City after attacking James Beattie at Arsenal on Saturday.
And Sportsmail can reveal that Magilton is in danger of losing his job after Akos Buzsaky threatened to press charges over the incident at Watford on Monday night.
Out in the cold: Buzsaky, comforted by John Gorman, wants to press charges against Magilton
Buzsaky's representatives met QPR chairman Gianni Paladini yesterday demanding that action be taken, and last night QPR officials were seeking legal advice with a view to suspending Magilton pending a full investigation.
The former Ipswich manager was clearly feeling the pressure after seeing his side beaten 5-1 by Middlesbrough on Saturday before the 3-1 defeat at Vicarage Road, leaving the club 10th in the Championship with just one win in their last seven games.
The Ulsterman, who was appointed at Loftus Road in June, is said to have torn into his players, starting with Damion Stewart and then turning on Buzsaky, who has been a target for Magilton's criticism more than once this season.
When Magilton asked the Hungarian if he thought he was being bullied, Buzsaky responded with a shrug of the shoulders and said 'whatever'.
But Magilton reacted furiously to that, and allegedly butted the 27-year-old midfielder.
He did not draw blood but it was serious enough, Sportsmail understands, for burly striker Patrick Agyemang to feel compelled to intervene and separate the two men.
Witnesses say Agyemang then squared up to his manager and condemned him for what was an unprovoked act of violence.
Agyemang (centre) confronted QPR manager Jim Magilton
Magilton is then said to have asked him if he wanted the same treatment, and it was only when Agyemang said he would like to see him try that the Ulsterman backed off.
Still in his kit, Buzsaky stormed out of the dressing room and, resisting calls from assistant manager John Gorman to return, remained by the pitch before moving to the warmth of the Watford kit man's room half an hour later.
Gorman is reported to have said he might as well come back because 'me and Jim might not even be here by the morning'.
It was while in the kit man's room that he was spotted by journalists who had been reporting on the match - the room is adjacent to the media area - and questions were asked.
A 'difference of opinion' was how Magilton explained Buzsaky's isolation before declaring that 'anything that was said will be kept in-house'.
At the start of the season Magilton told his squad not to accept calls from the media unless he had agreed to the interview in advance and his players resolutely stuck to that instruction last night.
Gorman described the row as 'a storm in a tea cup' yesterday, while Magilton refused to comment on the issue.
But yesterday Paladini was faced with a player who wants to press charges against his manager and QPR were considering how best to deal with Magilton when he is already under pressure due to the poor form of his team.
At Stoke, meanwhile, the Beattie situation remains unresolved, with the 31-year-old former England striker still likely to leave the club when the transfer window opens in January.
His representatives reacted swiftly to reports on Sky Sports News that he had apologised to Pulis for his part in the explosive row that followed Stoke's 2-0 defeat by Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.
Beattie's lawyer informed Sky it was Pulis who had apologised, as Sportsmail revealed yesterday.
Read more:
www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1234340/Under-QPR-manager-Jim-Magilton-faces-axe-headbutt-Akos-Buzsaky-threatens-press-charges.html?#ixzz0ZAqi0MS1Then the Mail a couple days later
So says The Mail
QPR players meet to decide the fate of suspended boss Jim MagiltonBy Simon Jones Last updated at 11:38 PM on 09th December 2009
Comments (0) Add to My Stories High emotions: Jim Magilton admitted that he had a 'difference of opinion' with Buzsaky but maintained his innocence
QPR'S players will determine the fate of suspended manager Jim Magilton after the club launched an inquiry into his alleged attack on Akos Buzsaky.
Senior players, including Buzsaky, were called to a meeting with club executives last night to give their version of what happened on Monday night following the 3-1 defeat at Watford.
Sportsmail exclusively revealed that Magilton, who denies any wrongdoing, was said to have butted Hungary midfielder Buzsaky after tempers flared in the dressing room and striker Patrick Agyemang was forced to intervene.
QPR suspended Magilton with immediate effect yesterday pending the internal investigation. And they were forced to put youth-team coaches Steve Gallen and Marc Bircham in temporary charge after Magilton's assistants, John Gorman and Keith Ryan, said they would not work for the club until Magilton was reinstated.
Magilton, 40, admitted after the game that he had a 'difference of opinion' with Buzsaky but yesterday maintained his innocence in a statement: 'While passions can run high in football, especially after a poor performance, I categorically deny any allegation of wrongdoing.
'I understand that the club has initiated an internal investigation, with which I will co-operate fully. This is an unfortunate situation and I look forward to resuming my responsibilities shortly.'
Staying put: Akos Buzsaky
However, many of the players have come out in support of Buzsaky and consider Magilton to have overstepped the mark. In fact, when Gorman asked for a show of hands for who wanted to back their manager yesterday, not a single player raised their arm. They were intending to voice their opinions with club officials last night and that will leave the Rangers board with little alternative.
Even if the evidence is inconclusive, the weight of numbers against him will make it difficult for the board to keep him on.
But if deemed guilty, the club would be within their rights to sack him on the grounds of gross misconduct.
Magilton was appointed in June when he became the seventh different manager to lead QPR since they were taken over by Flavio Briatore and Bernie Ecclestone.
Buzsaky, who refused to return to the dressing room and was seen wandering along the asphalt in front of the Vicarage Road main stand long after the final whistle, wants to stay at the club and denied reports yesterday he had asked for a transfer.
In the week's other butting controversy, Stoke yesterday said the dispute between James Beattie and Tony Pulis is now 'water under the bridge'.
:
www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footbal....l#ixzz0ZEvYRLNW
